Michigan State Football: 5 most productive players in Mark Dantonio Era

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TEMPE, AZ – DECEMBER 29: Running back Le’Veon Bell #24 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up before the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at Sun Devil Stadium on December 29, 2012 in Tempe, Arizona. The Spartans defeated the Horned Frogs 17-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Le’Veon Bell was not a ‘Plan A’ target out of high school for the Spartans. In fact, he was more of an afterthought prospect. He had only two stars to his name according to the ESPN rankings. He was the 211th-ranked running back in that 2010 class. He finished his 2012 season with 1,793 and 12 touchdowns. It’s fascinating that he was not a first-round pick when he came out.

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Bell only held offers from Marshall, Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. His principal, Donis Toler Jr., reached out to Mark Dantonio, according to MLive‘s Diamond Leung. He played as a true freshman and gained over 600 yards on the ground. He would end his career with 3,346 yards and 33 touchdowns.

During the 2013 campaign, Bell was basically the offense due to the struggles in the passing game. He has since gone on to be one of the elite — if not the elite — running backs in the NFL.

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Those are my picks for most productive players in the Dantonio era. Let the debating begin.

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